Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Young Citizens’ Views And Engagement In A Changing Europe: Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study 2022 European Report, Valeria Damiani, Bruno Losito, Gabriella Agrusti, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The IEA's International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) investigates the ways in which young people around the world are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. This report presents the European results from the third cycle of the study (ICCS 2022). Eighteen countries and two benchmarking participants (the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein) administered the European student questionnaire to target grade students in this study cycle. ICCS 2022 studied contexts for and learning outcomes of civic and citizenship education in a wide range of national contexts at the beginning of the third decade of the 21st Century. …

Education Out Loud Case Study: Iid, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Miriam Linder

International Education Research

The education system in Bangladesh has undergone significant change since the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. In 1973 the community-sponsored school system, in which communities felt a moral obligation to take an active role in schools, was transformed into a centralised national system. This caused a shift in the sense of ownership of the education system and a disconnect between community and school. This in turn led to the development of a system, which lacks accountability and community monitoring, and has left the system vulnerable to shocks that disproportionately affect already disadvantaged students. Nevertheless, there have been some notable …

Civil Society Contributions To Improving Learning Outcomes: An Education Out Loud Global Learning Partner Report, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Desmond Bermingham, Jolanda Buter, Miriam Linder, Sam Boering

International Education Research

This report shares the findings from an action research project conducted on behalf of Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme by the Management for Development Foundation (MDF) and the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) Consortium, in its capacity as global learning partner (GLP). The project involved working directly with three organisations (grantees) in receipts of EOL funds, across five GPE countries. The Consortium supported them to conduct action research projects, which tested the underlying assumptions of their programme’s theory of change, in order to validate their approaches to advocacy and policy influencing (API) and support …

The Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer) Response To The Australian Universities Accord Panel Interim Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) recognises the importance of universities, and the higher education sector more broadly, to the prosperity and success of Australia. ACER welcomes the intent and focus of the Universities Accord in creating a system that enables all Australians to consider the option of university education and be supported in embracing this opportunity. In our submission to the Accord Panel, we would like to provide reflection and insight into the following key areas:

• Recognising the higher education ‘life cycle’ begins well before university enrolment.
• Continuing to build the emphasis on equality of opportunity and equity-focussed …

Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study 2022: Assessment Framework, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon, Bruno Losito, Gabriella Agrusti, John Ainley, Valeria Damiani, Tim Friedman

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) investigates the preparation of young people to undertake their roles as citizens. It gathers and analyzes data from representative national samples on students’ conceptual knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship, as well as their attitudes to, and engagement with, aspects of civics and citizenship. ICCS builds on a succession of IEA studies in this field dating back to 1971, and especially since 2009. The 2022 study has been developed to build on previous perspectives on, and monitor changes in, such enduring issues as: levels of civic knowledge and understanding; patterns of …

Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study 2022: Assessment Framework [Early Online Version], Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Bruno Losito, Valeria Damiani, Tim Friedman

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS) 2022 continues IEA’s investigation into the ways in which young people understand and are prepared to be citizens in a world where contexts of democracy and civic participation continue to change. This assessment framework provides insight into the study’s conceptual background, cognitive, affective-behavioral and contextual content, and assessment design. It also describes content relevant for the measurement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that is related to Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Countries that participated in ICCS 2009, ICCS 2016, and ICCS 2022 will be able …

What Australian Students Say About Transition To Secondary School. Final Report, Shani Sniedze, Rachel Felgate, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sarah Buckley, Petra Lietz

Wellbeing

Life Education Australia's Being Healthy Being Active project involved the collection of student voice related to the concept of school transition and the move from primary to secondary school. Students from around Australia participated in 82 focus groups, or student forums, to discuss their own positive experiences, as well as perceived needs and challenges related to their move to secondary school. Section One of this report is a literature review and environmental scan on student transition from primary to secondary school. Section Two describes the methods used to design and administer the Student Forums. This includes a description of the …

Evidence Of Impact Underpinning Life Education Programs, Katherine Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This rapid evaluation of core Life Education programs conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in June 2021 is an independent investigation that demonstrates the evidence base underpinning Life Education programs in primary schools Australia-wide. It presents a national snapshot by drawing upon existing Life Education-specific evaluation data, existing ACER student wellbeing data, and accepted best practice in the field of student health and wellbeing education. The project addressed the key evaluation questions: How are core Life Education programs underpinned by evidence-based best practice, and how are core Life Education programs impacting primary-aged student wellbeing outcomes that align …

Citizen-Led Assessments: A Model For Evidence-Based Advocacy And Action To Improve Learning, Suman Bhattacharjea, Sehar Saeed, Rajib Timalsina, Syeed Ahamed

Assessment and Reporting

Designed as household-based assessments, citizen-led assessments (CLAs) are implemented by local organizations who assess children in their homes, thus reaching the most marginalized children, families, and communities, often in remote areas. CLAs add an essential piece of information for truly monitoring progress and help realistically represent the learning levels of all children – at national, regional, and global levels. By using simple tools and easy-to-understand reports, CLAs engage parents and community members in discussions about learning and help foster understanding of the importance of ensuring quality education through civil action. In this publication, members from organizations conducting CLAs in India, …

Reflections On The Development Of The Iea Civic And Citizenship Education Studies, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This chapter discusses the content, design, and methods of the three IEA studies of civic and citizenship education. It focuses on the changes made between each of these studies and the contexts for this learning area. The IEA Civic Education Study (CIVED) in 1999 was developed soon after the transition to democracy in many participating countries; threats to civil society in the early 2000s such as terrorism influenced the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) in 2009. The design of ICCS in 2016 responded to the increasing importance of social media in civic engagement, the growth in awareness of …

Australia: Pisa Australia—Excellence And Equity?, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Australia’s education system reflects its history of federalism. State and territory governments are responsible for administering education within their jurisdiction and across the sector comprising government (public), Catholic systemic and other independent schooling systems. They collaborate on education policy with the federal government. Over the past two decades the federal government has taken a greater role in funding across the education sector, and as a result of this involvement and the priorities of federal governments of the day, Australia now has one of the highest rates of non-government schooling in the OECD. Funding equity across the sectors has become a …

Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung

Assessment and Reporting

To measure the efficacy of school sector interventions, Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment (BCSEA) partnered with Australian Council for Educational Research (India) to strengthen its National Education Assessment (NEA) for obtaining evidence on learning, monitoring the progress of learning outcomes, understanding associations between context and achievement, and differences in achievement between groups. Eventually, the assessment reform will support measuring learning at the key stages of grades 3, 6, and 9. This case study report presents an overview of this project.

School Libraries In South Australia 2019 Census, Katherine Dix, Rachel Felgate, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Shani Sniedze

School and system improvement

This report presents the results of a survey census and website review of school libraries, taken across all South Australian schools in Term 3, 2019. The census collected data on school library staffing, facilities, funding, and support. Results reveal that schools with a qualified teacher librarian are more likely to have improved student literacy outcomes. While 94 per cent of South Australian schools have someone to manage the library collection and to select resources, less than a quarter (23 per cent) are managed by a qualified teacher librarian. Questions about the nature of library provision in schools uncovered eight main …

Measuring What Matters: Insights On The Value Of Whole Child Development, Porticus, Australian Council For Educational Research, Pina Tarricone, Yung Nietschke, Kylie Hillman

Monitoring Learning

This policy analysis report captures how cities and countries value, define, and measure Whole Child Development (WCD) - and equivalent - both broadly and in the context of reaching those in extreme adversity. The WCD conceptual framework of this study refers to 11 key themes: values, life skills, social and emotional learning, spirituality, academic knowledge, student engagement, adult support, community, academically challenging learning, safe environments, and health. The report provides insights into the challenges experienced in embedding WCD in education systems and offers evidence around the growing recognition and momentum globally around WCD and holistic learning. One of the key …

International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) identifies and monitors students’ knowledge, attitudes and activities related to civic and citizenship education. The study is grounded in core themes in civic and citizenship education such as young people’s understanding of civic principles and institutions, their knowledge of how to engage in civil society, exercise critical judgment, and their understanding and appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of a citizen. In addition, ICCS embraces concrete themes that have become of increasing importance in the twenty-first century, such as global citizenship, environmental sustainability, the use of new social media for civic engagement, …

The Latin-American Laboratory For Assessment Of The Quality Of Education: Measuring And Comparing Educational Quality In Latin America, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Laboratorio Latinoamericano de Evaluación de la Calidad de la Educación (Latin-American Laboratory for Assessment of the Quality of Education or LLECE) is the network of national systems for the assessment of education quality in Latin America, created in 1994, and coordinated by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC). LLECE’s purpose is to produce data and knowledge that inform educational policy in the region, contribute to capacity building, and serve as a forum for reflection, exchange and generation of new ideas and good practices in education evaluation. LLECE assessments aim to provide information about …

Effectiveness Of School-Based Wellbeing Interventions For Improving Academic Outcomes In Children And Young People: A Systematic Review Protocol, Katherine Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Shani Sniedze, Toby Carslake, Jenny Trevitt

Wellbeing

This systematic review protocol outlines the background, methodology and inclusion and exclusion criteria for a systematic review of how effective are school-based wellbeing interventions for improving the academic and non-academic outcomes of children and young people in mainstream schools? The proposed systematic review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness evidence. It will complement system-wide strategic imperatives for health and wellbeing promotion by providing robust evidence to inform policy and practice supporting student wellbeing. The review will only involve interventions that report impact on academic achievement for a population of students …

The Impact Of The Ib Primary Years Programme (Pyp) On Student Wellbeing And Other Related Social-Emotional Learning Outcomes, Katherine Dix, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This study investigated the impact of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) on student wellbeing and related outcomes. The PYP, an educational framework for children ages 3–12, offers a holistic education focusing on whole-child development through an inquiry-driven approach. It does so through multiple programmatic elements that include leadership and teacher professional development, to deliver an inclusive curriculum in classrooms that builds transdisciplinary skills, culminating in the development of students’ international-mindedness, critical thinking and attributes of the IB learner profile.

Supporting Examination Reform In Nepal, Mee Young Han

Teacher India

ACER is helping to ensure that school assessment in Nepal focuses on testing higher-order thinking skills.

Preparing For Life In A Digital World: The Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study 2018 International Report, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman, Daniel Duckworth

ICT - Digital Literacy

The second cycle of ICILS in 2018 (ICILS 2018) continued to investigate students’ computer and information literacy (CIL) and also investigated students’ computational thinking (CT). This dimension involves conceptualising problems (through algorithmic or systems thinking) and operationalising solutions (creating, implementing, and evaluating computer-based responses to problems). The inclusion of CT as an option in ICILS 2018 reflects recent interest by educators, researchers, and policymakers in the value of CT in schooling. ICILS 2018 studied how these components of digital competence related to each other and to the school and out-of-school contexts that support learning with and about computer technology. This …

Revision Or Re-Vision: Exploring Approaches To The Differentiation Of Qualification Types In The Australian Qualifications Framework, Kate Perkins, Justin Brown, Paul R. Weldon, Louise Wignall

Transition and Post-School Education and Training

In March 2019, the Department of Education commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to conduct a conceptual analysis of the most appropriate way to develop and present a taxonomy of learning outcomes within a qualifications framework; and a technical analysis and revision of the Knowledge, Skills and Application of Knowledge and Skills descriptors used in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Later this was extended to development of two alternative models that: (a) reflect the new conceptual base developed in Part I; (b) comprise a set of revised domain definitions (along with a new typology for each domain); and …

Measuring The Value Of Professional Indexing, Philip Hider, Pru Mitchell, Robert Parkes

Information Management

This study provides both a quantitative estimate and qualitative analysis of the additional ‘retrieval power’ that professionally assigned subject indexing affords users of a typical database in the field of education. A full version of Informit’s A+ Education database and one stripped of its subject indexing were searched by four research assistants tasked with compiling exhaustive bibliographies on forty-eight topics. The searchers were then surveyed about their use of the two databases, while their bibliographies and search logs were also examined. A two-way ANOVA model was constructed to estimate the percentage of additional resources found by the searchers on the …

Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report, Tim Pitman, Paul Koshy, Daniel Edwards, Liang-Cheng Zhang, Julie Mcmillan

Higher education research

This report details the findings of a feasibility study for the Department of Education and Training (DET) into the development of a higher education student equity ranking index. The purpose of study was to determine whether it was possible to measure higher education equity performance at the institutional level and convey each institution’s relative performance through an ‘equity rank’. The ranking was to be based on institutional performance in regard to equity-group students, including students from low socio-economic backgrounds; students from regional/remote areas of Australia; Indigenous students; students with disability; and students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Cross-National Priorities For Civic And Citizenship Education, Tim Friedman, Gabriella Agrusti, Damiani Valeria, Jennifer Hong

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The ever-changing world we live in has led new challenges for countries in educating their youth to become citizens in the 21st century. This paper explores cross-national priorities for the implementation of civic and citizenship education utilizing data collected across twentyfour countries that participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2016. Information was collected on the main aims and objectives of civic and citizenship education for students at the lower secondary level from educational policy documents as well as how these are perceived at the school level. Results suggest a degree in commonality across countries in the …

Young People’S Use Of Social Media And Internet For Civic Engagement In 21 Countries, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The use of digital technologies for citizenship engagement has become more widespread over recent years and has led to the conceptualisation of ‘digital citizenship’ as an emerging feature of citizenship participation in societies at the outset of the 21st century. This paper uses data from the recent ICCS 2016 survey to investigate the scope of using social media and the internet for civic engagement among lower-secondary students in 21 countries. It analyses its relationship with context factors and other forms of engagement, and models the influence of a range of contextual and other related variables on variation in students’ use …

Young People’S Trust In Institutions And Their Dispositions Toward Civic Engagement Since 2009, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This paper discusses ICCS results regarding students’ dispositions toward civic engagement and changes in their perceptions of traditional vs. alternative forms of political participation since 2009 as well as factors explaining their variations. It focuses on the role of two important variables that potentially influence students' expectations: trust in civic institutions and political. ICCS 2016 results confirm earlier observations that trust and civic knowledge tend to be either more negatively or positively related depending on general perceptions of corruption, and multivariate also show how expectations to engage in politics in later life are associated in different with these two variables …

Parent-Focused Interventions In Economically Developing Countries, Jen Jackson, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz

Monitoring Learning

The authors conducted a scoping review of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) interventions in economically developing countries between 1998 and 2017, aimed at improving children’s learning in the years before school. The review identified 37 parent-focused studies from 19 countries which provide an evidence base for parent-focused interventions that have both depth and geographical breadth. This policy note outlines characteristics of these interventions which contribute to changes in developmental outcomes for children. It found that of all ECEC interventions, the largest body of effectiveness evidence is available for parent-focused programs.

Integrating The Findings From The National Assessment Of Student Achievement Into The Policy Process: An Experience From Nepal, Lekha Nath Poudel, Gopal Prasad Bhattarai

Assessment and Reporting

This paper presents the experiences from Nepal on how the findings from the National Assessment of Student Achievement (NASA) have been integrated into policy processes. The purpose of this brief paper is twofold: to give an overview of the process of the National Assessment of Student Achievement, and to describe how the results were disseminated to different stakeholders to incorporate the findings into the design of policy processes. In doing so, the case study highlights how the assessment findings have been used to design and implement policies and programs in education.

Lower-Secondary Students’ Civic Engagement At School: Results From Iccs 2016, Wolfram Schulz

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

Based on survey data from the latest implementation of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2016), this paper explores the extent of students’ civic engagement at school, their beliefs about their own ability to engage and their perceptions of the value of student participation, as well as their willingness to engage in future civic activities at school. Where possible, it compares results with those from the previous ICCS survey in 2009, and it also analyses which factors related to home background, school context and students’ beliefs about engagement explain variation in their willingness to participate at school in …

Young People’S Attitudes Towards Freedom Of Movement And Immigration In Europe. Results From Iccs 2016, Wolfram Schulz, Sladana Krstic

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This paper will describe in a comparative perspective the extent to which young people endorse freedom of movement and equal rights and opportunities for immigrants, both across countries as well as with results from the previous ICCS survey in 2009 (Kerr, Sturman, Schulz, & Burge, 2010). The analyses presented in this paper will be based on surveys of lower-secondary students (13-15 years of age) across 14 European countries participating in ICCS 2016. They will be conducted in two stages. In a first step, descriptive results will be presented in comparative perspective across countries as well as with the previous survey …